4 years ago
Rato Machhindranath's chariot, which had been in a state of indecision for a long time, was pulled by the people on Thursday leading to clash between police and the locals.
Dozens of people including police, locals and journalists have been injured in the clash. Hundreds of people had gathered after making arrangements on social media to put pressure on Guthi Sansthan, District Administration Office and Lalitpur Municipal Corporation to end the procession as soon as possible.
Police fired dozens of tear gas shells during the clash.
As the Guthi Sansthan, District Administration Office and Lalitpur Municipal Corporation have been delaying the ‘rath yatra’(chariot procession) for months, they have been called in Pulchowk to put pressure on the concerned parties to end the ‘rath yatra’ as soon as possible, said Prithvindu Maharjan. After the people started gathering, there was a peaceful demonstration for about an hour and a half.
Maharjan said that they felt suspicious after receiving the news that the meeting of Guthi Sansthan scheduled for 11 am had been shifted to 1 pm. ‘The locals were trying to pull the chariot. There was a clash after pulling it for about 100 meters, ”he said.
Hundreds of locals and police clashed on Thursday in Pulchowk to pull Rato Machhindranath's chariot in violation of the ban. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
In the beginning there were about one and a half hundred people.
The crowd was growing, one by one. Rumors that the locals had come to the streets to complete the ‘rath yatra’ of Rato Machhindranath which had been postponed for a long time spread like wildfire. The same rumors started people spontaneously gathering in Pulchowk.
It is alleged that the Guthi Institute, the metropolis and the administration have played games on the sentiments of the locals as people are gathering in the Kathmandu Valley with the increasing number of infected people. The auspicious date of construction of Rato Machhichdranath's chariot was on Chaitra 27.
However, due to the Corona epidemic, the chariot could not be built. It was unclear whether the ‘jatra’ would be held or not. Meanwhile, the Guthi Sansthan gave permission to start the work of making chariots on Asar 10 when the lockdown was loosened.
Concerned ‘guthiyars’ worked day and night to build the chariot. After the construction of the chariot, the guthiyars and the locals became optimistic about the procession.
If the Guthi Sansthan had gathered the Guthiyars at that time and advised them not to hold the procession this time, some alternative could have been found. The current situation would not have come.
Instead of convincing the locals and guthiyars, the Guthi Sansthan had been repeatedly setting the date of the ‘rath yatra’ and postponing it. Rato Machhindranath is considered to be the god of contemporary rain in Kathmandu.
Therefore, the locals were confused as the journey, which should have been completed before the onset of the monsoon, did not start till the end of the monsoon.
Not only that, in the midst of the confusion of whether or not to make the journey, it was decided to put Rato Machhindranath in the chariot, and this work was done methodically.
After that, the locals became confident that there would be the ‘rath yatra’. However, the ‘rath yatra’ was not started. Instead, Rato Machhindranath was left stranded on the road for months.
The Guthiyars became anxious and angry when the ancient procession was stopped and Rato Machhindranath, the center of their faith, was left in the middle of the road.
They urged the government to complete the procession anyway by adopting security measures keeping in mind the risk of corona epidemic. They had also proposed to impose curfew and prevent anyone from leaving the house.
In this context, a written request was submitted in the name of the President on behalf of Vajracharya by Kapil Muni Vajracharya, the original priest of Rato Machhindranath (Paneju). A blueprint was also submitted on how to make the ‘rath yatra’ safer.
The Lalitpur Municipality and the administration did not hold any hearing. Vajracharya, the chief priest of Rato Machchinath, blames the government in today's clash.
"We have repeatedly suggested to the government to carry out the rath yatra safely, considering the risk of corona," he said. If there is a risk of spreading the infection, it was also recommended to conduct the procession by testing the PCR of the chariot drivers. Curfew also would mean not letting anyone else come. The government did not listen to us, ”he said.
He said, “Rato Machhindranath was kept in a chariot for so long. Is it possible to play such a game in the culture of our faith and in the case of God? First we were made to make a chariot, ‘Bunga Dya’ was seated in the chariot, and later he was not allowed to travel. The people have come to the streets in anger as they are not satisfied with the government's statement. '
‘Malmas is starting from Asoj 2 this year. It is not possible to pull the chariot for a month after the onset of Malmas. If the ‘rath yatra’ is not done during that period, the jatra cannot be completed before Dashain.
However, for Dashain, Machhindranath is a must in Bungmati, ”said Vajracharya, the original priest. According to locals, hundreds of people had gathered in Pulchowk with the aim of bringing ‘Bunga dya’ to Bungamati before Malmas.
Meanwhile, three policemen and locals including journalists Sunita Dangol, Kritan Joshi, Niranjan Shrestha and Prakash Maharjan were injured in the clash.
